(apologies for the delay in publication due to skeleton volunteer translators over Christmas)

JAYAPURA – The Puncak Jaya armed wing of the Free Papua Organization ( OPM ) through the Secretary General Anton Tabuni, has denied the claims of Puncak Jaya regent Henock Ibo that 100 OPM members Papua led by Goliath Tabuni have come down from the mountain to join the community.

Through mobile phone contact to Bintang Papua on Sunday 22/12, Anton Tabuni stressed that what is presented by Henock Ibo is false. “That’s not true and nonsense , what hundred people ? These statements are irresponsible, we are all at our headquarters, ” Anton said .

” What was delivered was a political sham that does not make sense , and not rational at all, we under the command of Gen. Goliath Tabuni are fighters, we are not like the officials who tried to come under favour of the president and claim that Goliath and Anton Tabuni have given up. It’s nonsense, ” Anton said .

Anton also questioned the total of 100 people who was mentioned. “How could the number be exactly be 100 people? What’s this? We have fought for more than 50 years and had a lot of sacrifice, so there ‘s no turning back. This is just propaganda, there is no reason for us to give up, not that, ” he said .

Previously , the Puncak Jaya regent also claimed that the 100 people who surrendered would be trained to become members of Civil Service Police Unit or municipal police in Mulia, Pincak Jaya. (bom/don/l03 )

The director of Baptist Voice Papua, Matius Murib, said that the shooting of an ambulance which killed a nurse and seriously wounded two other people in Puncak Jaya has compelled him to speak out.He was deeply concerned about this incident because the victims were ordinary civilians who know nothing about what is going on. He said that it was up to the police to investigate this incident and bring the perpetrators to justice so that we know who it was who was behind the incident.’I have raised this matter with the chief of police because the victims were civilians and not members of the security forces which means that the police must investigate the incident and arrest those responsible.

‘What we must remember,’ he said, ‘is that the state of Indonesia is based on the rule of law.

‘The three victims of this incident were all civilians, not members of the security forces. ‘

He said that he had reported the incident to the chief of police who promised to look into the incident.

‘Even in a time of war, there are regulations that have to be complied with. Medical personnel, children, mothers and civil society must be properly protected. There can be no justification for killing civilians.’

He pointed out that all the victims were medical personnel and are not members of the armed security forces. ‘It is absolutely clear that unarmed people must not be targets for a firearms attack.Firearms should only be used against people who are armed.’

The name of the person who was killed is Herry Yoman, 32 years old.

Giving a detailed account of what happened, a police spokeman said that at 11.20am, three people arrived at the Intensive Care Department of Mulia Hospital and asked for an ambulance and medical personnel to collect the person who had been seriously injured in the District of Tingginambut.

‘As they were on their way back, passing through the Urgele Kampung, just 100 metres from an army post in Puncak Senyum, the ambulance was shot at by unidentified persons, as a result of which three people were hit.

The police officer said that one person, Herry Yoman, a Dani, died after being shot in the jaw with some teeth torn out.

The other two people both of whom were Dani, were wounded in their arms.

Jayapura: While on the one hand, the human rights activist in Papua, Mathias Murib has urged the police chief in Papua, Drs Tito Karnavian, to investigate the shooting of three medical personnel who work at the Mulia General Hospital, a member of Commission A of the DPRP (provisional assembly) for Politics, Law and Human Rights has said that the intelligence activities of TNI/Polri (Indonesian Army and Police) in Papua are far from satisfactory. Every time a shooting incident occurs, all they say is that that it was perpetrated by ‘unknown persons’.

“There are large numbers of troops and intelligence agents spread all over Papua but they have achieved nothing. Moreover, a vast amount of money has been allocated to the security forces.”

These remarks were made by the chairman of DPRP’s Commission A for Politics, Law ad Human Rights, Ruben Magay S.I.P, speaking at the office of the DPRP in Jayapura.

According to Magay, who is a member of Partai Demokrat, the activities of the TNI and Polri are highly questionable.

‘They always say that ‘unknown persons’ (OTK) are responsible and do nothing to give victims a sense of justice.

There have been many shooting incidents against civilians, the most recent being the shooting of three medical personnel who work at the General Hospital whose names are Heri Yoman, 27 years old, who is reported to have died, as well as two nurses, Darson Wonda, 27 and Fritz Baransano, 42. both of whom were seriously wounded.when the ambulance in which they were taking a patient to the hospital was shot at by an armed gang in the District of Puncak Senyum, District of Tinggnambut on Wednesday, 31 July.

He said that incidents like this must be investigated by the intelligence forces and not simply blamed on ‘unidentified people’.

Independent human rights workers in Puncak Jaya regency have reported that Indonesian police and army in the remote highlands district of Tolikara have been continuing to arbitrarily arrest civilians, allegedly to fill arrest quotas required for promotion, as part of routine crackdowns on civilians harbouring pro-independence thought in Papua.

Three civilians were also arrested by a combined Indonesian army (TNI) and Police platoon on March 9, at the Pasar Lama market in Mulia town, Puncak Jaya. Nonggop Tabuni, Delemu Enumby and Jelek Enembe, were arrested based on false allegations according to witnesses interviewed by human rights workers, though the exact nature of the false allegations was unreported.

Credible sources have also reported that the same motive was behind the arbitrary arrest and an alleged beating by Papua Police (POLDA) in Tolikara on April 1.

Police from Tolikara station arrested a 35-year-old farmer, Josiah Karoba, 9,.25 am on April 1, while he was standing in front of a kiosk on Jalan Irian Tolikara. The victim was arrested on the pretext of failing to carry his KTP (National Identity Card), a Suharto-era law designed to identify Communists that has been relaxed everywhere but Papua.

Karoba was then arrested “roughly” and taken to the police station Tolikara, according to witness reports, however Karoba’s family have no information about his current status or whereabouts since his arrest. Karoba’s family and human rights workers hold grave fears for his safety and freedom from torture.

Human rights sources have told West Papua Media that the Tolikara arrests are motivated in the interest of police promotion, by arresting innocent civilians and continuing to make victims of innocent Papuan civilians.

There is no indication as yet that the arrests are connected with a massive operation currently ongoing targeting National Liberation Army fighters under Goliat Tabuni, hunted after their killing of six Kopassus special forces soldiers on February 21. With independent media heavily restricted by the operation, details of sweep arrest of other civilians during the operation has been unverifiable, but local sources have reported that hundreds if not thousands of civilians have been detained or forced to flee from their villages during the operation.

In response to the announcement by the police that they have placed Goliath Tabuni on the WANTED list, Goliath Tabuni told Bintang Papua last Saturday that he had laughed at the announcement, and said it was very strange bearing in mind that he has been waging a struggle already for several decades, so how come he has only now been put on the WANTED list.

He said that he was not troubled by the announcement: ‘We know that our struggle bears risks, but making this announcement at the present time suggests that there is a certain purpose in doing so.’He went on to announce that he has ordered his men to shoot the chief of police Inspector-General Tito Karnavian. ‘Since the chief of police has issued an announcement, I too, issue a call to my men to be prepared to shoot the chief of police if he comes here to Puncak Jaya.”Last week’s announcement by the chief of police stated: ‘The chief commander of TPN/OPM Gen. Goliath Tabuni is wanted in connection with the shootings which occurred on 21 February 2013 in Sinak and Tingginambut.’

Goliath Tabuni’s statement was made in a press release which stated: “In connection with the announcement by the chief of police, the TPN/OPM herewith declares to the Indonesian government and to the general public as well as to the international community that the aim of the struggle of the TPN/OPM is clear and justified. That is to say, it is waging a struggle for the independence of the Papuan people and to have the right to determine their own future.”

It also stated that Goliath Tabuni, as the commander-in-chief of the TPN/OPM, will issue an operational order for the chief of police Inspector-General Tito Karnavian to be shot dead if he comes to the Central Highlands for operational purposes whenever this may occur. “We are ready to shoot down the plane in which the chief of police may be travelling because we are able to classify all flights into the interior.”

“We warn the chief of police that, before issuing a ‘wanted’ order, he should take effective measures to find a solution to the political conflict in West Papua,” the statement said

“We herewith warn (Indonesian President) SBY and the Indonesian Government to take effective action to resolve the conflict about the status of West Papua, bearing in mind its status as part of the Republic of Indonesia is illegal according to all the facts that can be investigated.”

‘There must be tripartite talks between the United Nations, the Indonesian Government and representatives of the Papuan people who shall be determined by the TPN/OPM,” he said.

He finally declared that the TPN/OPM will continue with its struggle and can never be intimidated by acts of terror and intimidation by the Indonesian security forces which are carried out by the chief of police and the commander of the Cenderawasih/ VII Military Command.

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